All Forum Posts by: Kevin Eun

Hi everyone,

Happy New Year! I wanted to share a bit about my situation and get some advice from those more experienced in real estate.

My wife and I live in Irvine, Orange County, as renters. Over the past few months, I’ve been diving into Brandon Turner’s books and bingeing Dave’s BiggerPockets podcast whenever I have the chance. I’m not looking to retire early or replace my income through rentals—I just want to diversify our assets. Our initial plan is to house hack a quadplex somewhere in Orange County. We’ve been looking at cities like Fullerton, Cypress, Anaheim, Orange, and Tustin, but we’re staying away from LA County and Santa Ana due to rental restrictions.

A little about us:

• I’m 30, my wife is 28, and neither of us has owned property before. We both work in finance, so we’re pretty comfortable running the numbers.
• Our combined W2 income is ~$350K, and I work remotely with a very flexible schedule.
• We’ve saved over $200K across various assets (stocks, crypto, cash), and we live frugally, saving around $100K a year after taxes. This doesn’t include any raises or bonuses.
• No kids yet, but we plan to have them down the line.
• Both of our credit scores are over 800, and we have no debt.

The plan:

I know sellers don't always love FHA loans, and they can be tough to get approved for, but I'd like to use one to make this work. I also know finding a quadplex as a first property in Orange County isn't going to be easy, but I'm open to hearing people's thoughts.

My goal isn't to turn a profit right away—I know properties here might not have positive cash flow for a few years. Still, I want to make this work with a small down payment through an FHA loan. Maybe I'm being a little optimistic, but I feel like this is a good starting point for us.

I’m not interested in investing outside of Orange County for our first property since we know the area really well.

Networking:

I’d also love to attend some real estate meetups around here and connect with people in the space. If you know of any good groups or events, I’d really appreciate the recommendation.

Thanks so much for your time! I’m looking forward to hearing everyone’s thoughts and advice.

Best,

Kevin

Hey Kevin,

No, you are definitely not crazy! I don't know a single person who regrets starting out with a quad and house hacking. If you and your wife are on the same page, I say absolutely go for it.

Don't worry about the naysayers telling you to invest out of state if that's not something you're comfortable with right now. At the end of the day, they're not looking out for your best interests. Staying local and house hacking—especially now, before kids—gives you so much flexibility to set yourselves up for long-term success.

Your financial foundation is super strong, and house hacking a quad sounds like an amazing first step for you two. Full speed ahead!

Best of luck,
Travis